Glossary: M02 — Security Market Indexes

TermDefinition
BenchmarkA standard index used to evaluate the performance of a portfolio or investment
ConstituentAn individual security included in an index
Equal-Weighted IndexAn index where each constituent has the same weight regardless of size
Float-Adjusted Market CapMarket cap calculated using only shares available for public trading (excludes locked-up shares)
Free FloatThe portion of a company’s shares that are freely available for public trading
Fundamental-Weighted IndexAn index weighted by fundamental factors such as earnings, dividends, or book value
Hedge Fund IndexAn index tracking hedge fund returns; subject to survivorship and selection bias
Index ReconstitutionThe periodic process of adding or removing constituents from an index
Index RebalancingThe periodic adjustment of constituent weights back to target levels
Market-Capitalization-Weighted IndexAn index where constituents are weighted by their market capitalization
Price ReturnThe percentage change in the index value, excluding income from dividends or interest
Price Return IndexAn index that reflects only the price changes of its constituents
Price-Weighted IndexAn index where constituents are weighted by their share price (e.g., DJIA)
RebalancingAdjusting the weights of index constituents back to their target allocations
Security Market IndexA measure of the value of a group of securities, used to track performance of a market or segment
Total ReturnPrice return plus income return (dividends, interest)
Total Return IndexAn index that reflects both price changes and reinvested income
Unweighted IndexAnother term for an equal-weighted index

Related: M02 Module Page | Equity Formulas